Jesus' Temptation in the Wilderness - Part 9

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Jesus' Temptation in the Wilderness - Part 9

 

(p.174)

 

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle

of the temple, and saith unto him, " If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself

down: for it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge concerning thee': and

'in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot

against a stone.' "

 

Jesus said unto him, " It is written again, 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy

God.' "

 

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him

all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, " All

these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. "

 

Then saith Jesus unto him, " Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, 'Thou

shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.' " Then the devil

leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him (Matthew 4:5-11).

[1]

 

Symbolism of " the holy city "

and " pinnacle of the temple "

 

(p.175) There is an esoteric meaning to the above two metaphorical passages.

 

The body and spirit of Jesus were tempted and taunted both subjectively and

objectively by Satan. The Evil Force has many contrivances at his command. He

does not always employ his easily recognized objectified manifestations. Often

his best strategy is subtly to creep subjectively into the very thought

processes and imagination of his would-be captive. In this psychological guise,

Satan took hold of the mind of Jesus while he was on the very height of the

temple of meditation situated in the " holy city " of his universal Christ

Consciousness. The consciousness of Jesus was concentrated " on a pinnacle " of

the cerebrospinal axis at the point between the eyebrows, in the heavenly center

of Christ perception. Satanic delusion wanted him to fall down to the lower

region of the spine--the lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal plexuses--the plane of

the senses with their bodily attachments.

 

Although the consciousness of Jesus had reached the pinnacle of meditative

intuitive experience of the Christ state, its residence in the body predisposed

the mind of Jesus to be subject still to the temptation of delusion. Jesus' past

delusive habit of identification with the body, finding constant defeat in his

sacred consciousness, was roused by Satan to make a culminative effort to

dislodge the habit of his divine thinking. His memory of delusive mortal habits

cast a tempting thought into his mind: " Since I have regained in meditation my

high state of divine Sonhood, it is safe for me to cast myself down into realms

of bodily temptation. God will protect me through my guardian angels of

spiritual conviction, intuitive experiences, and meditation-born wisdom. Even if

I fall into delusion, the angels of spiritual thoughts will lift me up again to

my high estate of consciousness, and will prevent my foot of strong will power

from dashing against the stone of misery-making spiritual error. "

 

(p.176) The preeminent spiritual habit conquered, and Jesus replied in his

introspective thought: " The highest scriptural wisdom is that the attention must

never stray from God. He is the Father and Creator of all forms of

consciousness, cosmic and human. No expression of that divided Indivisibility

should succumb to the temptation of delusive experience to feel itself separate

from Him, and thus drag that manifestation of Divinity matterward. The

consciousness must remain concentrated in the truth of its transcendental

identification with God, untouched by satanic temptations. "

 

All craving and desire in man should be transmuted and turned toward God,

instead of being allowed to enshroud in delusion the God-image in man. Satanic

temptation's delusive, compelling, conflicting, happiness-expecting thought

leads to misery-producing error. Divine temptation summons man to pursue

happiness-making truth. Knowing this, Jesus snubbed the devil's temptation, and

scorned its audacity to tempt the God in him.

 

It is never wise to tempt the protecting grace of God merited by acquired

virtues. Even advanced devotees have fallen into delusion by self-assured,

presumptuous reliance on their righteous attainments as a safeguard against a

lapse, even momentarily, in requisite right behavior and discriminative

judgment. " Thou shalt not tempt the inner Divine Consciousness to prove Itself. "

It is for the devotee to remain always at one with the immutable Sheltering

Presence.

 

Temptations of sensory

and material gratifications

versus self-mastery and

spiritual joy

 

Again, the psychological Satan followed Jesus to his very high, mountainlike

state of Self-realization; and in an instantaneous mental vision arrayed before

him all the temporal power and glory of material possessions and position; and

thus lured him with the thought: " I will give you kingdoms of power and wealth. "

The psychological past delusive habit of pleasurable familiarity with the body,

pressing its momentary opportunity to regain control of the wisdom-guided free

choice and will of Jesus, made him feel that, having gained mastery over the

laws of nature, it had the power to give him enjoyment of all glorified material

things if only he would fall down to the plane of sensory gratifications from

his high state of self-mastery and joy in Spirit.

 

(p.177) Jesus answered within his discriminative introspection: " O ye senses of

smell, taste, sight, touch, and hearing, you were made to be devoted to Spirit,

and constantly to act and serve the soul in its contact with matter without

interrupting its transcendent, conscious experience of the joy of Spirit. "

 

The senses were given to serve man with perceptions of God incarnate in matter,

not for man to cater to their insatiable cravings--an innovation of satanic

delusion. As the servants of man, the God-created senses, guided with

discrimination, produce self-control, long life, health, and happiness.

Controlled by the temptations of Satan, the senses enslave man in the misery of

body identification and soul forgetfulness.

 

The Cosmic Intelligent Force, which has turned away from God, throws its

searchlight of vibratory luminosity upon matter to extol it and captivate man

with its shimmering tinsel glory.

 

To use the soul's searchlight of attention for worshiping the speciousness of

changing, temporary-pleasure-yielding matter is to become mesmerized by the

charm of Satan's sensory kingdom of finitude.

 

To reverse the searchlight of attention and focus it upon the God-knowing soul

in meditation is to behold and enjoy the changeless, everlasting, joy-giving

Spirit.

 

The Second Coming of Christ (The Resurrection of the Christ Within

You) Volume 1, Discourse 8, pg. 174-177

Paramahansa Yogananda

Printed in the United States of America 1434-J881

ISBN-13:978-0-87612-557-1

ISBN-10:0-87612-557-7

 

Notes:

 

[1] In his replies to the devil, Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 6:16 and 6:13. Cf.

parallel reference in Luke 4:5-13.